Four goals in six January outings helped earn Grimsby Town's Danny North the Powerade Player of the Month award for January, but it was not just the goal tally itself that earned the 20 year-old striker his accolade.

All four goals were vital as Grimsby maintained an unbeaten run that, thanks in part to North's two goals in three February outings, has now been stretched to 11 matches following Tuesday night's 2-1 League 2 win at Macclesfield.

In January the local born youngster hit both of the Mariners goals in an impressive 2-1 win at promotion chasing Chesterfield, then he bagged the only goal of a 1-0 victory over Wrexham before netting a last minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury.

"Things have been going well for me," says North, "but a lot of that is due to the team as a whole doing really well and when that's happening it helps you as an individual, especially a striker because it means you're almost certain to get chances in front of goal.

"I was still surprised to get the Powerade award, though. There were some good players nominated as well as me, so to come out on top of those names was a massive honour and a nice boost not just for me but for the rest of the Grimsby lads as well.

"When people look at results they see the names of the goalscorers, but you can't score goals without having the chances set up for you, and the way we've got ourselves out of a difficult situation near the bottom of the table has been a real team effort."

Grimsby's 11-match run has taken them from third-bottom to 11^th in the table and just five points off the Play-Off places. And North, in only his second season as a first team regular, seems to be coming of age on the field as the Mariners move up the table.

His career was kick-started with the return to the club 15 months ago of manager Alan Buckley, himself a former striker. "Before the gaffer came in," recalls North, "I was getting games but only as a sub.

"When he came in though, he saw me in training and put me in the starting line-up in his very first game. That was a massive boost for my confidence, and hopefully he feels I'm justifying his faith in me."

Another massive boost that North enjoyed along the way was his hat-trick in the penultimate game of last season, a 5-0 win against Barnet that ended with the striker hitting his third goal from a last minute penalty.

"I'd never scored a hat-trick at any level for the club," says North, a former trainee at Blundell Park, "so it was a fantastic feeling when that penalty went in - especially as I wasn't the regular penalty taker.

"The match was already won so the lads told me to take it, and although I felt a bit nervous I stuck it away okay. I've had a couple more this season and scored them both, so I quite enjoy taking them now."